ReportingRebootIssues
When reporting strange booting/rebooting issues here is a list of information that is helpful in debugging the problem:
- Output of /proc/bootreason
- Output of /var/lib/dsme/stats/lifeguard_resets
- Application running when the reboot occurred
- State of device - Idle with cover, idle without cover, turned OFF, in use, etc.
- Mode of device - R&D or production mode
- 'dmesg' at a successful boot -- whether the OOM (out of memory) killer is reaping processes
/proc/bootreason can have the following values:
| pwr_key | Power key was pressed to switch ON device |
|---|---|
| 32wd_to | Watchdog reset - something was consuming too much CPU causing a watchdog reset, or kernel crashed |
| sw_rst | Software reset (critical 'system' application crashing or being killed by the kernel OOM-killer can trigger that) |
| rtc_alarm | An alarm woke up the device |
You need to install xterm or ssh to get a console. Then use 'cat
You can create a 'core-dumps' directory on your MMC card, then crashing applications will leave core files in it. Use 'file core.*' to find out the name of the crashed application. In theory, you can use gdb to get the stack trace, but I haven't figured out a way to get useful one yet (no debug symbols). If copy *.core files to your Linux PC you can with gdb see what program crashed, use 'gdp -core core.xxxx' where xxxx the number of file. Now it would be usefull to get test version of firmware with all debug symbols...
- In which of the 2 sdcard dirs of the N800 would this directory need to be created ? - PeterDeSchrijver
- I would create it to both and check to which they will appear (folders itself does not take space from the sdcards). - SamiPesonen
And finally, file bugs against the problem applications!
That would be at https://bugs.maemo.org/. - MartinVermeer
I have no lifeguard_resets, but instead a lifeguard_restarts file. I understand that both files may exist at the same time. Anyone have more info about this? -lardman * I have both, and would interpet "restarts" as times the
- particular service
has been restarted, and resets as actual rebooting. - KalleVahlman * I also have both. Both were refreshed earlier today but at different times. - MartinVermeer
The Retu watchdog is one of the ways a reboot is triggered.
If the device boots and reboots several times, then log in to a shell and check "dmesg" for whether this boot also ran out of memory ("OOM") and the kernel happened to kill something that was not essential this time.